I showed up to my first civilian interview after separating from the Navy with nothing but a printed resume and a firm handshake. No portfolio, no notes, no prepared questions, no backup copies. Just me in a suit that fit weird because I had been wearing uniforms for years, holding a single sheet of paper like it was a boarding pass.

I got the job offer anyway — but only because the role was entry-level and the bar was low. For every serious position I interviewed for after that, the people who came prepared stood out. And once I started sitting on the other side of the table as a federal hiring manager, I could tell within the first 90 seconds who had done their homework and who was winging it.

This is the checklist I wish someone had handed me before that first interview. Not generic career-coach advice — the actual physical and digital items that make or break your preparation when you are transitioning from military to civilian employment.

Your Resume Package (Yes, Bring Physical Copies)

Even when you applied online, even when the interviewer has your resume pulled up on their laptop, bring printed copies. Bring at least five. Panel interviews happen more often than you think — three interviewers plus an HR rep plus one person who walks in late. If you hand each of them a clean copy without being asked, you just demonstrated preparation and attention to detail without saying a word.

Print on quality paper. Not cardstock, not scented paper, not neon anything. Standard white resume paper, 24-32 lb weight. It feels different in someone's hand than regular printer paper, and that tactile difference matters more than you think during a panel interview with multiple decision-makers.

Make sure the version you print matches what you submitted. If you tailored your resume for that specific posting (which you should have — and avoid the phrases hiring managers hate seeing on veteran resumes), print that tailored version. Bringing a generic resume when they are looking at a tailored version on their screen creates confusion and makes you look disorganized.

If you are interviewing for a federal position, bring the federal version of your resume — the one with hours per week, supervisor contact info, and detailed duty descriptions. Federal interviews operate under structured scoring, and having your own copy in front of you helps you reference specific accomplishments when answering questions. That detail matters when you are trying to hit the right marks in a federal structured interview.

A Professional Portfolio or Work Samples

This is where many veterans leave points on the table. You did real work in the military — maintenance logs, training programs, safety inspections, after-action reviews, project timelines, budget tracking. Some of that work, properly sanitized, translates directly into civilian portfolio material.

What counts as a work sample depends on what you are interviewing for:

• Project management roles (GS-0340, GS-0343): Bring a one-page project summary showing scope, timeline, budget, team size, and outcome. Strip out any classified details, unit designators, or operational specifics. Keep the structure and the numbers.
• Logistics and supply chain (GS-2001, GS-2003): A sanitized inventory report, a process improvement summary, or a cost-savings breakdown. Anything that shows you managed real assets at real dollar amounts.
• IT and cybersecurity: Certifications (printed, not just listed on your resume), network diagrams you built, or documentation samples. If you have a CompTIA Security+ or CISSP, bring the physical card or a printed verification.
• Training and education roles: A sample lesson plan, training evaluation results, or curriculum outline. Even a slide deck you built for a command brief can work if you strip the military-specific content.
• Administrative and program support: SOPs you wrote, process flows you created, or tracking spreadsheets that demonstrate your organizational approach.

Put these in a clean portfolio folder or binder — not a ratty manila envelope, not a plastic grocery bag (I have seen both). A simple black portfolio with a notepad on one side and document pockets on the other runs about $15-25 and communicates professionalism before you open your mouth.

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The Right Documentation for Your Situation

What you need to bring depends on what kind of position you are interviewing for and where you are in your transition. Here is the breakdown:

For every interview

• Government-issued photo ID — driver's license or passport. Some corporate offices and all federal buildings require ID to enter. Do not get stuck in the lobby because you left your wallet in the car.
• A list of 3-5 professional references — printed, with current phone numbers and email addresses you have verified within the last month. Include a mix: former supervisors, peers from different assignments, and if possible, someone from the civilian side (a SkillBridge mentor, a volunteer coordinator, a contractor you worked with).
• Your interview confirmation — the email with the time, location, interviewer name(s), and any access instructions. Print it or screenshot it. Cell service in parking garages and federal buildings is unreliable.

For federal interviews

• Your SF-50 (if applicable) — if you are a current or former federal employee, this is your proof of status, grade, and tenure. Reinstatement eligibility, transfer eligibility, and competitive status all live on this form.
• DD-214 (Member 4 copy) — federal HR may ask for proof of military service at any point in the process. Have your copy ready rather than scrambling to find it later.
• Transcripts — unofficial copies work for the interview stage. If the job announcement listed education requirements, have proof ready. Do not assume they will pull it from your application file.

For private sector interviews

• Proof of certifications — if the job requires a PMP, Six Sigma, CDL, security clearance verification, or any industry cert, bring printed proof. Saying "it's on my resume" is not the same as showing the card.
• Work authorization — if you are not a US citizen or if the role involves government contracts with specific citizenship requirements, have your documentation ready.

Prepared Questions That Show You Did Your Homework

Bring a written list of 5-8 questions for the interviewer. Not memorized — written down on paper or in your portfolio notepad. Pulling out a list of prepared questions is a power move, not a sign of weakness. It shows you are serious enough to prepare and organized enough to write things down.

The questions need to be specific to the role and company. Generic questions like "what's the company culture like" or "where do you see the company in five years" waste everyone's time. Good questions demonstrate that you already researched the organization and are now digging into specifics.

Examples that work:

• "I saw that your team manages [specific system or project from the job description]. What does the onboarding ramp-up look like for someone getting into that work?"
• "The posting mentioned [specific responsibility]. How is success measured for that part of the role in the first 6-12 months?"
• "What is the biggest challenge the team is dealing with right now that this hire would help address?"
• "How does this role interact with [another department mentioned in the posting]? I am trying to understand the cross-functional piece."
• "What happened to the last person in this role?" (Direct, but effective — tells you whether this is growth, backfill, or turnover.)

For federal positions, add questions about the structured interview process, telework policies, career ladder potential (GS-9 to GS-11 to GS-12 progression), and training opportunities. Federal supervisors are often more open about these details than private sector managers because the information is largely public anyway.

If you struggle with explaining your military experience without jargon, write down how you plan to describe your last 2-3 positions in civilian terms. Having that translation ready — in writing — prevents the mid-interview brain freeze where you default to acronyms and rank structures that mean nothing to the person across the table.

Your STAR Stories: Written, Practiced, and Ready

Behavioral interview questions ("Tell me about a time when...") are the standard in both federal and private sector hiring. Federal panels score your answers against pre-set criteria. Private sector interviewers are looking for structure and substance. Either way, you need 6-10 prepared stories using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result.

Write them out. Full sentences, not bullet points. Each story should be 60-90 seconds when spoken aloud, which means about 150-225 words on paper. Bring your STAR sheet to the interview in your portfolio. You are not going to read from it during the interview, but reviewing it in the parking lot 15 minutes before you walk in is the difference between a sharp answer and a rambling one.

Cover these categories with your stories:

• Leadership under pressure — when things went sideways and you made a decision
• Teamwork and collaboration — working across units, branches, or with civilians
• Problem-solving with limited resources — every veteran has this story, make it specific
• Conflict resolution — how you handled disagreement without pulling rank
• Meeting a tight deadline — deployments, inspections, exercises, readiness reviews
• Adapting to change — PCS, new command, new mission, new team
• A time you failed and what you learned — handling the weakness question is easier when you have a real story ready

Translate the military context into civilian language before you walk in. "I led a 12-person maintenance crew through a 96-hour equipment overhaul, completing 3 days ahead of deadline and saving $47K in contract labor costs" hits harder than "I was the LPO for a depot-level maintenance availability." Both describe the same work — one makes sense to a civilian hiring manager, the other does not. Our military-to-civilian terminology guide can help with that translation.

A Notepad and a Decent Pen

Take notes during the interview. Not on your phone — on paper. Write down the names of everyone in the room, key points from their questions, anything specific they mention about the role or team that was not in the job posting.

This serves three purposes:

1. It shows you are engaged and taking the conversation seriously. The people who sit with their hands folded, nodding along, and never writing anything down? They look like they are waiting for the interview to end.
2. It gives you ammunition for your follow-up. When you write your thank-you email after the interview, you can reference specific things each interviewer said. That personal detail separates you from the 90% of candidates who send a generic "thanks for your time" email.
3. It helps you evaluate the offer. You are interviewing them too. If a supervisor mentions 60-hour weeks are "normal" or that the last three people in the role quit, you want that written down so you remember it when the offer comes in.

Use the notepad that comes in your portfolio or bring a small professional notebook. Not a spiral-bound college notebook. Not a legal pad from the Dollar Store. Something clean that looks intentional.

Digital Backup: Your Phone as a Safety Net

Your phone is a backup system, not your primary tool. Keep these loaded and accessible before you leave for the interview:

• PDF of your resume — if your printed copies get wet, wrinkled, or you need one more than you brought, you can pull it up on your screen or email it on the spot
• The job posting — screenshot or save the full text. Job postings get taken down after the position closes, and you need to reference the specific requirements and qualifications during your conversation
• Directions and parking information — especially for federal buildings, military installations with civilian positions, or corporate campuses where visitor parking is not obvious. Arrive 15 minutes early, not 15 minutes stressed.
• Interviewer LinkedIn profiles — a quick scan before you walk in tells you their background, how long they have been with the organization, and whether they have military experience themselves. Knowing that your interviewer is a Marine veteran changes your approach to navigating civilian workplace dynamics in that conversation.
• Your references list — digital copy in case they ask for it in email format

Set your phone to silent before you walk into the building. Not vibrate — silent. A buzzing phone during an interview answer is almost as bad as a ringing one.

The Things Nobody Tells You to Bring

These are the small items that separate someone who has been through the process from someone going in blind:

• A bottle of water — interviews run 30-60 minutes. Dry mouth from nerves is real. Some companies offer water, many do not. Having your own (in a simple bottle, not a tactical Nalgene) keeps you comfortable.
• Breath mints or gum (for before, not during) — coffee breath in a small conference room is a problem. Pop a mint in the parking lot. Never chew gum during the interview.
• A copy of the job posting with your notes on it — key requirements highlighted, your matching qualifications noted in the margins. This is your cheat sheet. Review it in the car, leave it in the car.
• A clean tissue or handkerchief — nervous sweating is real, especially if you are not used to civilian interview settings. A quick wipe before the handshake prevents the clammy-hand impression.
• Your elevator pitch — written out on paper. "Tell me about yourself" opens about 80% of interviews. Have your 60-second version rehearsed and ready. It should cover: your military background in civilian terms, what you did most recently, and why you are interested in this specific role.

The Pre-Interview Timeline: When to Pack What

Do not leave packing for the morning of the interview. You will forget something, or your printer will jam, or you will realize your nice pen ran out of ink.

The night before:

• Print 5+ resume copies and put them in your portfolio
• Print your references list
• Print or screenshot the interview confirmation
• Load digital backups on your phone
• Review and finalize your STAR stories
• Review your prepared questions
• Charge your phone
• Set out your interview outfit (what to wear to a civilian interview is its own topic — do not wing that either)

Morning of:

• Double-check your portfolio has everything
• Fill your water bottle
• Grab breath mints
• Check traffic and parking situation
• Leave early enough to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled time

In the parking lot (10-15 minutes before):

• Review your STAR stories one final time
• Scan your prepared questions
• Glance at the job posting notes
• Phone on silent
• Breath mint
• Walk in calm, early, and prepared

For Virtual Interviews: A Different Checklist

If your interview is over Zoom, Teams, or WebEx, the preparation shifts from physical to digital — but the principle is the same: have everything ready before you need it.

• Test your setup the day before — camera, microphone, lighting, background. Not 5 minutes before the call.
• Have your resume and STAR stories open on screen — in a separate window you can glance at without obviously reading. This is one advantage of virtual interviews — use it.
• Close every other application — email notifications, Slack pings, browser tabs with distracting content. One popup on screen during an answer kills your focus.
• Wired internet if possible — WiFi drops at the worst moments. A $10 ethernet adapter is cheap insurance.
• Backup plan — if your video fails, can you join from your phone? Have the meeting link accessible on a second device.
• Professional background — a plain wall, a tidy bookshelf, or a simple virtual background. Not your kid's bedroom. Not the kitchen with dishes in the sink.

For more on virtual interview specifics, check out our guide on virtual interview tips for veterans.

What to Do Next

Preparation is not glamorous, but it is the one part of the interview process you control completely. You cannot control the questions, the other candidates, or whether the hiring manager had a bad morning. You can control walking in with every document, story, question, and backup plan ready to go.

If your resume is not interview-ready yet — meaning tailored to the specific job you are interviewing for, translated into civilian language, and formatted so a hiring manager can scan it in six seconds — that is step one. Use the BMR resume builder to get a version you are confident handing across the table. For federal positions, the federal resume builder formats everything to the specific requirements that federal HR expects.

And if you are still figuring out which civilian roles match your military experience, the military-to-civilian career crosswalk tool translates your MOS, rating, or AFSC into specific job titles with salary ranges and federal position matches. Know what you are interviewing for before you pack the bag.